Uncharted Waters
by Neon-Necromancer
Summary: Paradox was used to experiencing both the strange and unique nature of the omniverse. He thought he'd seen enough to expect it all, but a small discovery has shaken his entire beliefs to the core. Takes place after 'And Then There Was Ben.'


A scientist at heart, and protector of the omniverse by trade, Paradox relished the little things along his travels. He found both comfort and validation within the subtle constants hidden within the chaotic sea of infinite. Many found insanity in repetition, but the man always looked forward to encountering the recognizable.

There was always a watch, a hero, and the quizzical intellect of a certain Galvan that started it all.

Azmuth would always express his concerns on how a mere human mind wasn't built to comprehend such vast knowledge. Paradox would always reassure him with a smirk before focusing on the timeline erasing matter at hand. He was a being who surpassed human expectations, held the fate of worlds in a pocket watch, and experienced the beginning and end of everything with an attentive eye. The Galvan underestimated him on principle, a fact holding the sheer truth of how dangerous the time traveler was.

Then there were the good days. By either the actions of his own or others, he would eventually accumulate enough second on polite conversation to keep things on track. Whenever this was the case, Paradox would find the time to reiterate his favorite statement to one of the most interesting constants throughout his journeys.

"I've come back from the infinite edge of insanity," He would say, smiling in the polite moments before the chaos. The many variations of Azmuth would give him all the same worried, but amused, look. "And had forever to learn from a mistake."

Then things changed with a little discovery.

Paradox couldn't pinpoint the exact moment in his mess of a time stream when it happened, but the experience shook him to his core. There, before his very eyes, was a universe without a watch, a powerless hero, and yet the lynch pin to start it all had the nerve to exist.

To put it short, the time traveler was livid.

"Why," He asked the Azmuth of this twisted universe. A brief introduction was all the Galvan needed to take a break from his latest experiment. "Why, in your vast wisdom, didn't you pursue the creation of the omnitrix? You have the notes, resource, and schematics to build the damn thing. This world shouldn't even exist as a branching path. It completely negates the actions taken years ago by Ben Prime."

Azmuth gave the man a simple shrug. Stroking his beard, he looked down upon the cityscape below his lab. "I don't know what to say, time traveler. Personally, I don't believe I have to justify my actions, or in this case inaction, with you. You claim to have intimate knowledge with the omniverse itself, but from where I stand, you are but a child throwing a temper tantrum for nothing. To give you credit, if a higher being exists beyond your station, they wouldn't fare any better at the realization that they are capable of being surprised."

Paradox quirked a brow. He investigated the matter before talking to the Galvan, re-watching and analyzing events, but he wasn't expecting this. "Is that an attempt to reassure me. If it is, well, it doesn't sound so reassuring."

"It's not supposed to be," Azmuth said. He turned, giving the man a look that spoke volumes. "In short, congratulations. You retain the ability to be just as lost as the rest of us."

If that wasn't evidence enough, Paradox found this version of Azmuth far beyond interesting. Even when he was but a mortal man, the professor never experienced a conversation where he was at such a disadvantage. The Galvan cornered him at each turn, gleaming as much information he could for this short encounter.

Paradox was left wondering what happened to this Azmuth to cause such a change as he fleeted through time and space to his next appointment. The Galvan had a point. There were many things left in creation to surprise him, and the encounter pulled the proverbial rug from under his feet. The time traveler never wanted to experience the sensation again.

He began formulating a plan.

XxXxX

"How long do I have to keep these things on?" Ben Prime said, adjusting his goggles. Of course it wasn't _the_ Ben Prime. That would cause a plethora of world ending problems that Paradox didn't want to think about. Instead, this was the version the professor had the most encounters with, even if the teenager didn't remember all of them for one time related reason or another.

"Taking those off will bestow you a fate worse than death," Paradox said, waving off the boys concern. He kept his eyes trained on the single, black dot before them. As if an afterthought, he added. "Just to be safe, wait a few hours when you return to your home dimension before removing them. Your brain will need time to comprehend and forget what it just experienced. Making subconscious comparisons through your observations at home might make your head explode quite literally."

Ben gave the dot an annoyed look. Here he was, looking upon the omniverse itself within this white void, and the goggles were dumbing down the situation enough so he could perceive it. Paradox informed him that a few days from now he wouldn't remember any of this, and he had a sinking feeling that this wouldn't be the first time it happened.

"So," Ben said, scratching at the rubber band that was cutting into his skin. The googles were going to leave a distinct red mark. "What's this little field trip for?" He should start asking these questions before jumping into blue portals.

"Your watch-less counterpart surprised me, and trust me when I say I don't like surprises _that_ big." Paradox said, pulling out his pocket watch. He opened it and quickly checked the time before putting it away. "To put it lightly, my time line isn't as straight forward as you think. I have no past or future, but always have an infinite presence in the moments I inhabit. In other words, my ability keeps me from revisiting the seconds I have lived in while only allowing other displaced beings to interact with me in the present moment."

"You're a walking paradox," Ben said, grinning from ear to ear. "Gwen said that any scientist would, and I quote, 'find you quite a catch'."

The professor nodded. "That's what worries me. I have infinite before me, yet the omniverse is to vast even for the likes of me. I know it doesn't seem like it, my friend, but just like any human, I always feel that there isn't enough time in the world to get everything done. I'm forever fighting a war that reaches out to realities that I will never visit for one reason or another. Who knows what conflicts I'll miss and what worlds will be destroyed without my intervention."

"Can't put out every house fire in the universe," Ben said, earning him an all knowing smirk from the man. "What?"

"Your adult versions may be wise, but I enjoy these moments of thoughtful insight from your youth." His good mood quickly dropped as he turned his attention back to the dot. "If you were wondering, I'm comparing the map of my own timeline to the omniverse itself. With careful planning I can create a support network of sorts that will allow groups of Bens to rely on each other during times of great crisis that would normally be far out of there reach."

"Don't get me wrong, that sounds insanely cool, but isn't that illegal? I mean, you know more about this kinda stuff then me, but my time as Alien X has shown me there are a lot rules to these things."

Paradox quirked a brow, amusement danced in his eyes. "The only beings who would disagree have committed atrocities far worse than mine. Even then, the opposition's only stance would be that it won't benefit them despite all the good it would do."

"My investigation has reached its end," Paradox said, taking out his watch. Before he could whisk them away in a blue light, a sudden thought came to him. "But since we're here, and we'll never get a chance like this again, how about a little show? There are many Ben's out there you and I will most likely never encounter. How about a little peek?"

"What kind of versions?" Ben said, trying to force back his eagerness. The teenager only had faint impressions of his escapades outside his own reality, but it left a thirst he couldn't quite quench. For better or worse, he wondered the where the paths diverged. "I'm seen fame get to my head, and a...goth version of me? Wait, what was that about?"

"The omniverse is filled with many possibilities, most stemming from subtle changes and small events. Of course, a few are more drastic then others. I must warn you, whenever everything is said and done, you may experience a subtle existential crisis from what you might remember."

Ben grinned, "Let's do it."

Paradox held out the pocket watch and showed the teenager the slow moving hands. There was a flash of light blue, and the next thing Ben knew it felt like getting hit by a truck. For less than a second, he experienced more than a dozen lives.

* * *

A/N: Just a little something that came to me at two in the morning while looking through fan art. If you made it this far, I hoped you enjoy it. Reviews and comments welcomed with open arms!


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